Bulb with big leaves

Discussion in 'Annuals, Biennials, Perennials, Ferns and Bulbs' started by Liz, Jan 3, 2009.

  1. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,526
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Victoria Australia [cool temperate]
    For years I have carefully been nursing 3 large bulbs size of a decent potato. I have carefully kept them in the shade because this is where I found them in the old garden. They grow 2 very large leaves autumn winter which then disappear usualy because the snails get them. At the moment (summer) they are just sitting there half exposed out of the soil. Last year for the first time they flowered. Reason my son had been moving pots and they ended up in the sun. What I ended up with was the following,

    http://fernkloof.com/species2.mv?Haemanthus coccineus

    The flower has thick leathery leaves and this wonderful centre of pollen.

    Do any of you have this plant and how do you grow it? It looks like a perfect candidate for dry gardening given it's origons. I want to take it out of the pot to see if it will make young ones but am scared I might loose them. Are they readily available or is it one of these things one finds in old gardens?

    Liz
     
  2. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

    Messages:
    4,776
    Likes Received:
    6
    Location:
    Toronto, Ontario
    I have no idea about availability and whatnot, but most members of the Amaryllidaceae have similar care guidelines. Do you grow (or have you grown) Hippeastrums? It strikes me that the care would be quite similar.

    Equally, you could try hand-pollinating the flowers next time it blooms, and then collect the seed. Most members of this family come easily from seed. Certainly, I have Hippeastrum as lawn weeds for this exact reason because I'm rotten at deadheading them in time.
     
  3. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,526
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Victoria Australia [cool temperate]
    Hiya Lorax,
    It's worth a try. Yes I do grow the hippies. At least one pot of them. Lovely red thing.
    The flowers on the big leafed thing were such a suprise I did not even think. If they do flower again this year will give it a go.

    Liz
     
  4. Chungii V

    Chungii V Active Member

    Messages:
    572
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Hervey Bay Australia zone 10/11
    Hey,
    It's very similar to my Scadoxus multiflorus Blood Lilly (pics) I have two which were from splits. They are probably the most dormant plants that I have here. Even my seasonal gingers outlast these plants. The Blood lily retains it's leaf for months but does not hold it's flower all that long (about 1 and a bit weeks). The biggest and flowering one was nearly as big as a tennis ball when I planted it.
    All my soil (being on the coast) is a sandy loam so holds pretty good amounts of moisture when mulched. I don't give the plants any water really. Maybe once a fortnight in the harshest part of summer. We've had kind of reliable rainfall up until December and it's hopefully started again (40mm in 2 days is a start right?).
    One blood lily plant actually sits in a spot that suffers from a lot of sun before midday until some shade in late arvo. The heat and dryness does not seem to bother it. The other is in shade and does well there. The blood lily came from a nursery where we grew them in shadehouses and under a dense coverage of palms in pots.
    They are very simple to split just leave it until they are about to re-shoot (spring). As for buying them. The blood lily you see in my photo would sell for $40+ we sold them small sized, 2 small shot bulds in 7' pots for $20, larger ones around $35 and then we were still getting told off for making them too cheap. I can't imagine you'd find yours that easily or cheaply either.
    They did set seed in the nursey but I believe they must need to cross pollinate as mine that flowers has never seeded (it's not recieving ideal conditions like those in the nursery though)
    Hope that helps they are quiet closely related right down to genus:

    Haemanthus
    http://taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl/TaxonTree.aspx?id=10533&tree=0.1

    Scadoxus
    http://taxonomicon.taxonomy.nl/TaxonTree.aspx?id=669876&tree=0.1
     

    Attached Files:

  5. Liz

    Liz Well-Known Member 10 Years

    Messages:
    1,526
    Likes Received:
    2
    Location:
    Victoria Australia [cool temperate]
    It's not quiet the same but it did have a name like blood lilly on one of the pages. This looks like a very large buttercup and the out side red leaves are very thick and leathery. Quiet exotic. Can't say I have ever seen it before and as I said the flower was a bit of a suprise. I would say flower was about 7 cm across. The two leaves that come out are thickish and look like long fat toungs. They oppose each other. Very dark green and about 20 cm long on average. Low to the ground not tall.

    Liz
     
  6. Chungii V

    Chungii V Active Member

    Messages:
    572
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Hervey Bay Australia zone 10/11
    Yes I realise they are different click on the two links and you'll see by what I mean they are closely related:} I am assuming that being so closely related they would be extremely similar in needs and other. It's kind of like having two different bromeliads which were giving me such a headache earlier:}
     

Share This Page